


Writing Resources for Writers of All Ages

by Mo-San (renee1797)



Category: No Fandom, None - Fandom
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-06
Updated: 2017-06-19
Packaged: 2018-11-09 18:02:37
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,568
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11109939
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/renee1797/pseuds/Mo-San
Summary: Here is some links to helpful websites and some tricks to really help improve your writing.





	1. Chapter 1

### Character Building

**Simple Characterization Tricks**

********
  * S: Speech
  * T: Thoughts
  * E: Effects on Others
  * A: Actions
  * L: Looks

**Even though the characters might be from a show, book, or other form of media, they are your creations in your own story.  
Do not be afraid to give them a personal flair.**

**Character Profile Worksheet (Highly Detailed)**  
http://www.epiguide.com/ep101/writing/charchart.html

**Character Profile Worksheet (Simplified)**  
http://qacps.schoolwires.net/cms/lib02/MD01001006/Centricity/Domain/1161/Character%20Profile.pdf

**Other Bits to Nibble On**  


    * Every character must have a desire in your story. Even if they are not the main character.
    * Avoid cliche character tropes. Example: The bookish girl is overly shy.
    * Get your characters into trouble.
    * **Have Fun!!!**

I probably missed a lot of needed information, but I can add that later. I hope this helped some!  
Good luck on your writing and keep the good work up!!

~ Mo-San





	2. World Building

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some tips and tricks on bringing your world to life.

### Quick Link to Helpful Info

  
http://www.sfwa.org/2009/08/fantasy-worldbuilding-questions/

### My Take it to the bank advice

  
In your world, big or small, every individual place can be treated as another character. What do I mean by that? Lets look at an example of a museum, and specifically an art one.  


  * What sort of speech is expected? Normally people are rather silent or they whisper.
  * What kind of thoughts flow in the building? This ranges from wonder to boredom.
  * What are the effects on others? Refer to the upper two questions.
  * What actions are expected here? Well you wouldn't ride a skateboard through the halls.
  * Finally, what does it look like? Tiled floors, gentle lighting, and art.

Sometimes the villain of the story can be the setting. Is your protagonist trying to cross a dry desert. Take away their water and now the dry heat is their worst enemy.





	3. The Start

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The start of your story is one of the most important parts. You need to attract and keep and audience. So here are some tips and tricks on how to do that!

Alright! You are ready to take the first step on your fanfiction/writing journey. Armed with a basic idea, characters, and a setting, you just have to get into it right? Sitting down with your lap-trap(laptop)/pad of paper and with pen in hand you start to write the first sentence. Was the first attempt trash? or gold? Where do you even start? Should the main character just jump right in the action or maybe you should describe the main character first. Does this sort of frustrating situation sound familiar? Almost all writers face opening dilemmas, and those who claim to not are simply lying. Openings and endings are the hardest things for writers to write. 

**What exactly should be in an opening?**  
According to Rob Spilman, editor of _Tin House_ magazine, there are a few basic building blocks of an opening.  


  * Language: Here you will start to build an authoritative voice for your narration. Concentrate on verbs. Start and end sentences with physical things to make them stronger.
  * Forward Lean: Each sentence should lead into another. Also every sentence should be doing something new, and not repeating information from a previous sentence.
  * Something Strange and Something Pretty: Do not be afraid to ruffle the reader's feathers a bit. Grab their attention from the first sentence.
  * Good Mystery: There is a difference between shock and suspense. Show your reader the gun, but don't fire it until later.
  * Stakes: Why does your story matter. What is at risk for the main character(s)?



According to Steve Almond, editor and ghost writer, there a number of "Non-Negotiables" in writing.

  * Precision: Be precise in what you write! Details are your friends, but do not repeat them.
  * Conflict: There should be some sort of friction in the story by the end of the first paragraph. Also related to what is at stake for your character!
  * Who, What, When, Where, and Why?



So now we have some basic information and sentences for your opening. Next you have to decide just how to express you word.

**There are types of openings?!?!**  
Ann Hood, award winning author, separated all openings into ten distinct categories. Some have higher difficulty levels than others, but being safe is for loosers!

  * Introduction: Starting with the main character. The most popular and easiest way to start your story. Want an example? Look at "The Last Running" by John Graves! His short story details the relationship between Texan rancher Tom Tejano and local Comanche Natives.  


> They called him Pajarito, in literal trader-Spanish interpretation of his surname, or more often Tom Tejano, since he had been there in those early fighting days before the Texans had flooded up onto the plains in such numbers that it became practical to hate them with specificity.

The main character is introduced and back story is given on him.
  * Old Saw: Taking a commonly used opener. A favorite among new writers in an attempt to twist a fairy tale type story. Example would be "Once apon a time..."
  * Character Description: A little self explanatory here. The narrator describes the main character. Want an example? Lets take a peek at Harper Lee's _To Kill A Mockingbird_! 

> When he was nearly thirteen, my brother Jem got his arm badly broken at the elbow. When it healed, and Jem's fears of never being able to play football were assuaged, he was seldom self-conscious about his injury. His left arm was somewhat shorter than his right; when he stood or walked, the back of his hand was at right angles to his body, his thumb parallel to his thigh. He couldn't have cared less, so long as he could pass and punt.

Alright! Right off of the bat the reader knows the main protagonist is a boy named Jem. Hem is thirteen and is the typical boy. Describing his worry of not being able to play football shows a lot more than it reads.
  * Setting: Describe the main place the story will be taking place. An opening that can either go amazingly right or terribly wrong. Want an example? Read how Oscar Wilde did it in his novella _The Picture of Dorian Gray_

> The studio was filled with the rich odor of roses, and when the light summer wind stirred amidst the trees of the garden, there came through the open door the heavy scent of the lilac, or the more delicate perfume of the pink-flowering thorn.

Here Wilde creates a very idealistic scene that drips innocence. Though he might not introduce the main protagonist in the first paragraph, he does gain the reader's attention.
  * En Media Res: Literally meaning "In middle of action" many instructors recommend this method the most. Writing your character in the midst of a conflict is one of the more dynamic ways to open your story and easiest to show the stakes immediately. Another example? Alright lets look at _Hoot_ by Carl Hiasen! 

> Roy would not have noticed the strange boy if it weren't for Dana Matherson, because Roy ordinarily didn't look out the window of the school bus. He preferred to read comics and mystery books on the morning ride to Trace Middle.  
>   
>  But on this day, a Monday (Roy would never forget), Dana Matherson grabbed Roy's head from behind and pressed his thumbs into Roy's temple, as if he were squeezing a soccer ball. The older kid were supposed to stay in the back of the bus, but Dana had snuck up behind Roy's seat and ambushed him. When Roy tried to wriggle free, Dana mushed his face against the window.

Already the reader can gain a sense of age, mentality, and social status of the main character Roy.
  * Fact: Just making a statement. This can either be in the form of a list or a single line. Be careful that you do not bore the reader by making it either too wordy or two long. Example? Paulo Coelho's _The Alchemist_ will give you just that! 

> The boy's name was Santiago.

Simple and short, the reader is already introduced to the main protagonist. 
  * Altruism/Philosophical idea: A rather hard method used in openings, you face the issue of being too broad. Usually a statement is made that is supposed to catch the readers attention. An example would be from the _Fallout_ series. 

> War never changes.

While it works well here, your writing may be a different story. Be careful if you decide to attempt this opening.
  * Overture: A term often used to describe openings to Opera performances. Openings in writing using this method are very musical and whimsical. One of the hardest to pull off, but, if done well, creates a wonderful read.
  * Other-world: Describing a whimsical word. Mostly used in Sci-Fi novels, it can be applied to any story to make your reader feel disconnected. Example? Douglas Adams' _The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy_ provides just that! 

> Far out in the uncharted backwaters of the unfashionable end of the Western Spiral arm of the Galaxy lies a small unregarded sun.  
>   
> Orbiting this at a distance of roughly ninety-eight million miles in an utterly insignificant little blue-green planet whose ape-descended life forms are so amazingly primitive that they still thing digital watches are a pretty neat idea.




Now we are running with something! The last list I will write for your pleasure is some don'ts of opening writing

  * Don't start with your character waking up.
  * Don't start with a flashback
  * **Don't Ever Confuse The Reader**



Now you are ready to write up a kick your butt side ways opening!  
Don't forget to have fun!  
Keep up the good work!!!  
~ Mo-San


End file.
